Happy Holidays from the MCA...and here is December's news!

by Mike Ketcher

It was standing room only at our November MCA meeting -- a sneak preview of the ATT St. Louis International Film Festival. Several local filmmakers, who had films in the festival, spoke about their projects -- and filmmaking in general in St. Louis -- and screened excerpts or trailers.

Our special guest, producer Jeff Most, gave his perspective on St. Louis, pointing out some of the strengths of shooting here, as well as areas that could be improved. He spoke about the tax credit, but expressed disappointment that it had been lowered from 50% to 35%, starting next year. He's currently in production on a feature film, "Legeia," which is now shooting in St. Louis. Mr. Most was also producer of "Kingshighway," which shot in St. Louis last May, as well as co-producer of "Ghost Image," one of the hits of the festival.

St. Louisan Jack Snyder, the director of "Ghost Image," was also on the panel. He discussed the trials and tribulations of shooting a film on a tight schedule with Hollywood actors. When asked if he had any difficulties with any of those Hollywood actors, he was somewhat evasive, saying that there were some "creative differences," but they were able to work through them.

Jay Kelly, whose short comedy, "Raising the Bar," was also in the festival, talked about his brand new "Red Camera," a new-fangled camera that promises to revolutionize indie filmmaking. Jay is reportedly the only person in St. Louis who has one of these cameras, although other St. Louisans may have them on order.

There then ensued a debate about film vs. video. Mr. Most felt that a movie shot on film still carried a great deal of cachet, especially in the European market, making it easier to get distribution in foreign markets. Mr. Kelly felt that for the right project, the Red Camera can't be beat.

Bill Streeter does nothing but digital video, producing Lo-Fi St. Louis, an offbeat, online video magazine that has developed an international audience. Bill discussed his views on how Internet video is still in its infancy -- and could be a hugely popular and lucrative outlet for film and video distribution in the years to come.

Rounding out the panel was and Emmy- and Telly-award-winning local filmmaker, Jason Christ, who screened an excerpt from his video art piece, "The Quiet Place." Based on the Rebecca Kennebeck poem "Her Soul Flies Free," this film traces the emotional downward spiral of a girl trying to escape the torment of a recent personal tragedy. Jason also discussed some of the other projects he's involved in, including the horror feature, "Deadwood Park, directed by Eric Stanze and produced by Wicked Pixel films.

All-in-all, it was a wonderfully eclectic demonstration of the breadth of local talent in the St. Louis prduction community.